Best of Namibia

Namibia had been a dream of mine for a number of years and in the spring of 2007 I
finally got the chance to visit. Quite simply, a staggering country - the variety of landscapes boggled the
mind as with a landmass three times the size of the UK and only 1.8 million inhabitants
there are extraordinarily wide open spaces.

Sossusvlei

The red dunes of Sossusvlei are amongst the most recognized symbols of Namibia and a major tourist magnet.
And justifiably so. Despite a camera malfunction that cost me a morning of shooting (I rather stupidly
left my spare body in the lodge) and the constant pangs of loss I felt, walking the dunes was a great experience.

Photographically the highlight was the balloon ride I took on the second... more

Swakopmund and Walvis Bay

Swakopmund, a small town on the Atlantic has a great deal of charm, albeit of a slightly bizarre
(for Africa) German flavour, a relic of its colonial past - a real Brauhaus staffed with German-speaking waiters
is only one example.

Only half an hour down the road lies Walvis Bay (pronounced Valfish Bay), the only deep-water port between
Luanda, Angola and Cape Town, South Africa. It is... more

Palmwag Rhino Camp

Set in the midst of some of the harshest terrain in Namibia, the supposedly mobile
Palmwag Rhino Camp
(pronounced Palamvach with a German ch at the end)
allows visitors to track the rare desert Black Rhino. Whilst the area is starkly beautiful, the lack of rains
meant that there was very little game to be seen.

Luckily, I had my own vehicle for the whole stay, so we spent a
full day heading... more

Serra Cafema

Alongst the banks of the Kunene River, which forms much of the border between Namibia and Angola, lies one of the most remote
and fantastic camps in southern Africa, Serra Cafema.
A virtual and real oasis within a fantastic emptiness of sand and stone, it remains one of my favourite camps.

Hartmanns Valley and the steppes surrounding it are filled with Oryx, Hartmanns Mountain Zebra and Springbook, and...
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The Himba

Early one morning whilst staying at Serra Cafema we had the the fantastic
opportunity to visit with a family of Himba. The Himba are one of the last real nomadic pasturalist ethnic groups in Africa.
An offshoot of the the more predominant Hereros, they still maintain the same lifestyle as they had hundreds of years ago.
Given the harsh land in which they live, they only congregate in small family groups, herding the cows and goats which are
their... more

Etosha National Park

The last week of my trip was spent in Etosha National Park, staying at
Ongava Tented Camp to the south and
Onguma Tented Camp to the east of the park.
Etosha is the largest and most game-prolific of Namibia's national parks, and was quite a different safari experience from
what I've experienced elsewhere in southern or east Africa. As Etosha includes the massive Etosha Pan, there is very little
rain in the area so much of the prime viewing... more

Aerials views of Namibia

The easiest way to get around the vast distances of Namibia is by light aircraft. They also provide a great opportunity
for perspective and some interesting images.

Most of my flights were with Sefofane Air,
an arm of Wilderness Safaris who provide charter services within Namibia, Botswana, South Africa,
Zimbabwe and Zambia. Interestingly, Sefofane were one of the first operators to begin using GPS back in...
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